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jfmessier
Asked: 2010-05-04 09:35:43 +0800 CST

Can someone implement LVM on an existing single-hard disk system?

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I am using SuSE Linux (10) and I am considering expanding the available disk, without resizing an existing partition (which is not easy to do on a VM). Instead, I want to create another virtual disk, and add it in a new LVM volume, which would include the existing disk, and this new one, in a seamless single mount point.

We are using VMware vServer 4, under Lab Manager and Virtual Centre. Does SuSE support LVM in version 10 ?

Thanks :-)

lvm configuration sles sles10

3 Answers

  1. If the current virtual disk is not on LVM than you cannot do this easily. In this case I would create the new desired situation (including LVM) next to the current disk and move the current data over during planned downtime. There is no easy way to do this live.

    For scenarios just like this I always put LVM on my virtual disks, even if I don't expect future growth.

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  2. Yes.

    SuSE 10 should have support for LVM. Install the appropriate packages.

    You should always use LVM, even if you only have one disk. It makes scenarios like this one trivial.

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  3. Best Answer

    Why is it not easy to resize a partition?

    You can alway resize the last partiton of a disk: Resize the disk, delete the last partiton and recreate it with the same starting cylinder. Then put the new end cylinder to the end of disk.

    If you have a PV on that partition: pvresize If you have a direct FS on that partion: resize the filesystem afterwards.

    But what you want to do is even simpler to accomplish. It sounds as if you already got an LV located in a VG consisting of a PV which in turn is a partion.

    So create your new disk, partition it with one lvm-partition, use that partiton as new PV (pvcreate) and add that PV to your existing VG (vgetend). After that you can resize your LV using the addidional PV.

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